Dictionary of psychiatry

This section of WikiMD's encyclopedia is dedicated to providing a comprehensive dictionary of psychiatry terms. Here we explore key concepts, disorders, and treatments within the field of psychiatry, each entry linked to its own detailed article for further reading.

A[edit | edit source]

Affective disorder - A category of psychiatric disorders characterized by disturbances in mood or emotion.
Agoraphobia - An anxiety disorder involving intense fear and avoidance of places or situations where escape might be difficult.
Alexithymia - Difficulty in experiencing, expressing, and describing emotional responses.
Antidepressant - A medication or other treatment used to alleviate symptoms of depressive disorders.
Anxiolytic - A type of medication that inhibits anxiety.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - A developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior.

B[edit | edit source]

Benzodiazepine - A class of psychoactive drugs used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety and insomnia.
Bipolar Disorder - A mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) - A mental illness marked by an ongoing pattern of varying moods, self-image, and behavior.
Brief Psychotic Disorder - A disorder characterized by the sudden onset of at least one episode of psychotic behavior that lasts less than a month.

C[edit | edit source]

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) - A type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps patients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors.
Compulsion - A repetitive behavior or mental act that a person feels compelled to perform to reduce anxiety.
Conversion Disorder - A condition in which you show psychological stress in physical ways.
Cyclothymic Disorder - A disorder that causes emotional ups and downs that are less extreme than bipolar disorder.

D[edit | edit source]

Delusion - A false belief held despite strong evidence against it; delusions are a common symptom of various psychiatric disorders.
Dementia - A group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking, and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning.
Depersonalization-derealization disorder - A dissociative disorder characterized by persistent or recurrent feelings of detachment from one's own body or thoughts (depersonalization) or from one's surroundings (derealization).
Depression (Major Depressive Disorder) - A common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) - Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, a severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in—and alternately take control of—an individual.

E[edit | edit source]

Eating disorders - Any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) - A procedure, done under general anesthesia, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure.
Evidence-based practice - A process through which the best available research, clinical expertise, and patient preferences are evaluated and considered in the context of the individual patient's circumstances.

F[edit | edit source]

Factitious disorder - A serious mental disorder in which someone deceives others by appearing sick, by purposely getting sick, or by self-injury.
Forensic psychiatry - A special branch of psychiatry which deals with the assessment and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in prisons, secure hospitals, and the community.
Free association - A practice in psychoanalytic therapy, in which a patient says whatever comes to mind without censorship as a way to uncover thoughts and feelings that have been repressed.

G[edit | edit source]

generalized anxiety disorder - A mental health disorder characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a number of different things.
geriatric psychiatry - A branch of psychiatry dealing with the study, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders in humans with old age.

H[edit | edit source]

hallucination - A perception in the absence of external stimulus that has qualities of real perception; hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and located in external objective space.
hypomania - A mood state characterized by persistent disinhibition and mood elevation (euphoria), with behavior that is noticeably different from the person's typical behavior when in a non-depressed state.

I[edit | edit source]

insomnia - A sleep disorder where people have trouble sleeping.
intellectual disability - A generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significantly impaired intellectual and adaptive functioning.

J[edit | edit source]

juvenile bipolar disorder - A subtype of bipolar disorder where the condition manifests in children and adolescents.

K[edit | edit source]

kleptomania - An impulse control disorder characterized by a recurrent urge to steal, typically without regard for need or profit.

L[edit | edit source]

learning disorders - Disorders that involve difficulty in learning key academic skills, which can include reading, writing, or mathematics.
lithium (medication) - A medication commonly used to treat and prevent mania episodes in people with bipolar disorder.

M[edit | edit source]

major depressive disorder - A mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of low mood that is present across most situations.
mania - A state of abnormally elevated arousal, affect, and energy level, or "a state of heightened overall activation with enhanced affective expression together with lability of affect."
mental health - A level of psychological well-being, or an absence of a mental disorder.
mental status examination - An assessment of a patient's level of cognitive and emotional functioning.

N[edit | edit source]

narcissistic personality disorder - A disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, and a lack of empathy toward other people.
neurocognitive disorders - Disorders that affect cognitive function and are associated with impaired brain function.
neuroleptic malignant syndrome - A rare, but life-threatening, reaction to antipsychotic drugs.

O[edit | edit source]

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - A disorder characterized by unwanted recurring thoughts and behaviors that drive an individual to do something repetitively.
opioid use disorder - A medical condition characterized by a problematic pattern of opioid use that causes significant impairment or distress.
oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) - A behavior disorder defined by chronic aggression, frequent outbursts, and a tendency to argue, ignore requests, and engage in annoying behavior.

P[edit | edit source]

panic disorder - A psychiatric disorder characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms.
paranoid personality disorder - A mental disorder characterized by paranoia and a pervasive, long-standing suspiciousness and generalized mistrust of others.
phobia - A type of anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation.

Q[edit | edit source]

quality of life - The general well-being of individuals and societies, outlining negative and positive features of life.
queer theory - A field of critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of queer studies and women's studies.

R[edit | edit source]

refractory depression - A form of depression that does not respond to standard treatments.
regression (psychology) - A defense mechanism leading to the temporary or long-term reversion of the ego to an earlier stage of development rather than handling unacceptable impulses in a more adult way.
repressed memories - Memories that have been unconsciously blocked due to being associated with a high level of stress or trauma.

S[edit | edit source]

schizoaffective disorder - A mental health condition including schizophrenia and mood disorder symptoms.
schizophrenia - A long-term mental disorder involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.
seasonal affective disorder (SAD) - A mood disorder subset in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year, most commonly in winter.

T[edit | edit source]

tardive dyskinesia - A disorder that results in involuntary, repetitive body movements, which may include grimacing, sticking out the tongue, or smacking the lips, as a result of long-term use of antipsychotic drugs.
transference - A phenomenon in psychoanalysis characterized by unconscious redirection of feelings from one person to another.
trauma and stressor related disorders - A group of mental disorders which include those where exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is listed explicitly as a diagnostic criterion.

U[edit | edit source]

unipolar depression - Another term for major depression, characterized by a persistent feeling of sadness or a lack of interest in outside stimuli.
utilization behavior - A neurological disorder that results in patients grasping objects and performing tasks with them without any intention or awareness.

Psychiatry and psychology related terms[edit | edit source]

A-Z of mental health conditions and treatments | Glossary of psychiatry | Dictionary of psychiatry

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